Total Quiz XIV
Archived questions and answers to AE's history contest
Total Quiz XIV was held on January 25, 2007 using the same 20-question model in the previous quiz. Questions were more challenging than those of the previous edition and a new style in which the writer of the question is hidden from contestants was introduced. Total Quiz XIV was also the last quiz to be run by long-time moderator Imperator Invictus, thus marking the end of a phrase in the development of the quiz and the beginning of another.
-- Summary --
Quiz moderators: Imperator Invictus, Poirot, Northman
Winner: Decebal
Total Quiz XIV
| 1. | Who was the ruler of the Aztec civilization at the beginning of Spanish Conquest? | |
| 2. | President of the United States during World War I who later helped create the League of Nations but was unable to get the support of Congress for the United States to join the League. | |
| 3. | Which despotic Roman Emperor whose name means "little soldiers' boot" ruled from 37 to 41 AD, when he was assassinated by his guards? | |
| 4. | The Persian scholar Ibn Sina (Avicenna) of the Islamic period wrote what famous work that became the authoritative manual of health and medicine in the Islamic and European world? | |
| 5. | What major city today derives its name from an influential clan of an ancient power known for its maritime trade? The same clan produced a famous military leader whose tactics resound in history texts today. | |
| 6. | He is known today by his title which is the same as that of another ruler 1500 years earlier. His rule was marked by constant war against Elam, Uratu, and Babylon, which he eventually captured, and another kingdom to his southwest, whose people he deported after his conquest. He ordered the construction of a massive new city as his capital but was killed in battle before he saw its completion. Name the king. | |
| 7. | A Tale of Two Tramps. This is a tale of two tramps, both born around the same time and having uncanny physical resemblance. One tramp brought laughter to the world, the other, misery. The two tramps journeyed into opposite extremes, one to the left, the other to the right. Nevertheless, the two tramps eventually converged in a famous film, which was radical for its time. Name the two tramps. | |
| 8. | According to legend, I invented a famous machine of death, and became a victim of the machine myself. Contrary to legend, I acutally did not invent the mechanism, did not die from it, and opposed, in theory, the terrible act the machine carried out. Nevertheless, my name has been forever linked to the device. Who am I, and what is the terrible mechanism of death? | |
| 9. | This city was built by peoples who originally migrated from the north and became the capital of a powerful trade kingdom. Due to its prominent role in the area's gold trade, later travelers associated it with the legendary mineral deposit of a famous king. Today, the city's stone ruins still remain. | |
| 10. | There are two German authors with same first name and nearly the same surname. Both lived at the same period. One was a philosopher and economist and the eponym of a doctrine that changed the world. His ideas were often misunderstood by those who wanted to translate his ideas into the reality.
The second was a writer, whose books were fascinating to many generations of young German readers. His stories were about heroes of the American west and the Middle East. The meaning of his works of fiction is subject to debate but nonetheless his is still one of the most popular writers in Germany today. Who are they? | |
| 11. | Sex and Sensuality. She was born poor and died poor, but lived much of her life as the center of attraction in a world of well-bred men. She was the epitome of fashion in a time of war and change. She was the Marilyn Monroe, Kate Moss, and Brigitte Bardot of her day. Despite marrying a much older man, she had a well known affair with a war hero, an affair that her husband did not object. She had two children via the affair, although one died prematurely. Who was she? | |
| 12. | Death and Rebirth. Following times of great turmoil, a group of radicals were caught by the ruling regime. The leader of the regime decided to teach these radicals a life lesson, so he pretended to have them brutally executed. The prisoners stood, frightened and shaken, awaiting at death's door; by the time news of a lesser sentence arrived, many had gone mad. One prisoner, however, did not go mad; instead, he learned his lesson and grew stronger, cherishing his rebirth from death's eternal hold. His experiences led him to become a new person, rejecting the radical ideas of his earlier days. He dedicated himself to writing, and his philosophical transformation is much reflected in his works, which are known to many readers today. Who was this reborn prisoner? | |
| 13. | Father and Son. Father and son were born around the same area, were educated at the same prestigious institution, and shared the same name. Both father and son made their marks in history: the father wrote a poem that helped preserve a famous battleship, while the son held a prestigious position for almost 30 years. Coincidentially, the name shared by father and son also helped inspire the name of a popular literary character. What was the name shared by the father and the son? | |
| 14. | When I attacked a heretical rebel, he developed a defensive system that kept him undefeated for five years until he died. I later was taken prisoner by this man, and when my king ungraciously refused to ransom me, I joined the heretics and even became their leader after this man died. Who am I? | |
| 15. | The tides of misfortune had befallen on my family and the great country that it once ruled. From the west, a great foreign rival power had risen from scratch, and devoured my country completely, with stunning efficiency and effectiveness. My father was nothing but a helpless young ruler, killed while fleeing from rapidly advancing invaders. According to some sources, my sister was captured by the invaders and made to marry, later giving birth to an important historical figure. I, however, escaped to the capital of another great empire, and sought help to restore my family's former glory. My son and I would spend the rest of our lives serving as generals along the borders of the empire that adopted us. Who am I? | |
| 16. | I held once one of the highest positions at the capital of my state. However, my teachings were declared as heresy by other powerful men and I was deposed of my title and exiled by the ruler who originally supported me. While my teaching became eradicated in the area where I held my office, my supporters carried my ideas far away to distant lands where it flourished in small communities for many centuries. Who am I? | |
| 17. | This man worked in and journeyed through many parts of Europe, though his origin can be deduced from the motto of a small but famous group of fabled soldiers. After years of travel, occasionally employed in different armies, he settled down and achieved a great reputation, although only temporarily. His name fit him very well and he quickly made enemies and had to move on to save his life. Again on the road, broke, he spent years writing and reading, and eventually regained his wealth and fame. What is his name? | |
| 18. | He was arguably the greatest ruler of his empire. During his rise to power, he drove out the foreign invaders who had burned the great city which was the capital of its empire, near a large lake. He then proceeded to rebuild and fortify the city, which before being burned was believed to enjoy divine protection. His religion was different from that of most of his predecessors as well as most of the population of the time. Who is he? | |
| 19. | I was a brilliant commander and a kingdom founder. I first made my mark in history as a general fighting for my empire, of which I was a member of the ruling family. My empire was at that time under attack by two foes. I led my army against one of the foes and won great victories, but the other enemy was overwhelming the armies of my empire and would eventually destroy my empire completely. Frustrated by the military failure of my emperor's army, I abandoned him, gathered a number of my followers and declared myself king. However, since the enemy was too strong, I fled west and established a new kingdom by defeating all who opposed me in the new land. In battle I defeated the ruler of a large empire toward the west, driving it into internal chaos. By end of my reign, I had crafted the most powerful empire in the region. However, my successors could not keep my state alive as it soon crumbled against a new and rising power about a century after I founded it. Who am I? | |
| 20. | I belonged to one of the most prestigious clans in my era. Respected by the public due to my spotless image, revered by my peers for my calm demeanor, and feared by my rivals because of my political ingenuity, I came out of retirement to save the empire that my clan served, an empire that halved from its original size a few years before my birth. First, I prevented a powerful figure from usurping the throne; then, with my guidance from behind the scenes, my brother and nephew's troops triumphed in a battle near a river, defeating a much larger invading army from a young, upstart empire. The young, upstart empire began to disintegrate soon after its defeat, while the empire I served survived for a few more decades. Who am I? | |
Question Authors: (user who contributed the question) 1. poirot; 2. Imperator Invictus; 3. poirot; 4. Imperator Invictus; 5. poirot; 6. Imperator Invictus; 7. poirot; 8. poirot; 9. Imperator Invictus; 10. ulrich von hutten ; 11. poirot; 12. poirot; 13. poirot; 14. Timotheus; 15. poirot; 16. Imperator Invictus; 17. Styrbiorn; 18. Decebal; 19. Imperator Invictus; 20. poirot;
Original Quiz Thread: The quiz thread on the forum can be viewed at:
http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=17362&FID=58&PR=3 |
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